A corky ritual

I confess, sometimes I buy wine that has a twisty cap. But, that is not the confession. The confession is that I like the whole idea of the cork. While I have had some good experiences with twisty cap wine, I do like California’s Big House Red, and there are some Australian wines I like that have twisty caps, nevertheless, I still prefer a cork stopper. According to Wineanorake.com’s Jaime Goode, doctor of biology, who writes extensively about wine (His website and blog are definitely worth a look.), twisty caps were a group of Australian wine makers answer tocork taint. Apparently, cork can produce a mold that can make your wine stinky. Jancis Robinson writes that between 2 and 5 percent of wine is said to be tainted by cork (p.37, How to Taste); she makes no judgment in her book regarding cork v. twisty. Leslie Sbrocco, on the other hand, speaks enthusiastically about twisty caps, and tells of her experience in New Zealand where she participated in wine tasting, and found the whites with twisty caps tasted better (p. 84, Wine for Women).

As I was shopping for wine tonight at Delaware Plaza Wine & Liquor I noticed a whole row of wines from Australia; they all had twisty caps. I was disappointed. There was something about seeing so many wines with so many twisty caps that made me feel as if Laverne and Shirley had entered the wine industry. Of course, I know that many wineries are mass-producing wines, but still there are producers who seem to have a relationship with their wine and maintain the ritual of wine making (for those who can read Spanish check out the blog Elena y el vino, this woman is an enologist, and it is evident that she is in love with the upper Rioja region, Bodega Villarrica, she oversees.

Back to twisty caps… I believe twisty caps minimize the ritual surrounding wine. Favoring the cork has nothing to do with snootiness; but rather the whole encounter with a bottle of wine, and the senses it stimulates.

Let’s think about it.

You purchase a bottle of wine, and bring it home. It is sitting on your counter, and looks just beautiful. You proceed to the opening. First, cut the foil, and then get the corkscrew and twist… can you hear all of those sounds? Get the knife from the drawer and zip, you cut, then the knife hits the counter, you hear the click of the corkscrew, and twist, twist, twist, you drill a little hole, and watch some pieces of cork break off, and hope they do not get in your wine, then slowly pull, nudging the cork from side to side… you hear that sound? Finally, a slightly hollow popping sound, and the cork is out. The cork looks intriguing, exotic, it smells of what is to come, and it is environment friendly. You go through this whole ritual while you are talking to a friend, or a group of people, or you are in anticipation of guests. It is slow; it takes some time, and you might take the opportunity to reflect on the buying experience or wonder if all will enjoy the wine. It is a sensual experience that might even make you think.

The twisty on the other hand is completely distinct. You crack it open with a twist of your hand as if it were a Coca Cola bottle. That is it. You are finished. Later you can screw it back on, but you missed all that time opening the wine that had the cork in it, and you only get a one sound fits all experience. Also, you cannot place twisty caps in a little glass jar as a gentle reminder of what you experienced.